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Not Like Poetry....yet still writing it? WHAT?? Discuss please...
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Not Like Poetry....yet still writing it? WHAT?? Discuss please... |
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Temptress
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-06-15
Posts 7136Mobile, AL 
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Question... Do YOU THINK that someone can be a poet...or a very good poet if they don't even like poetry? I'm not sure if its possible..not the being a good poet part anyways. I mean....how can you write something well that you have no passion for or interest in? I mean...maybe it is possible. I love WRITING long poems, but I don't really like READING long poems.(maybe it is an attention span problem because some of them are quite good despite the fact that they are long)anyways... And...isn't it a bad thing if our poetry only makes sense to ourselves? If it does, isn't that really just writing journal entries rather than poetry? I know..I know..its difficult or impossible for any one person to truly say what is poetry and what is not. Sorry....a link in announcements (I'm sure a few of us know the one) and a look around the featured site made me peeved a little today.... so...ready...set...discuss... Late at night you'll come crawling back |
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Local Parasite
since 2001-11-05
Posts 2527Transylconia, Winnipeg |
Anybody can write "poetry" nowadays. If you don't LIKE reading poetry then I think you must have a self-centered notion of poetry, that you only like writing what you consider to be poetry and have no actual interest in poetry itself as a craft. It also says that you're self-satisfied, which no poet should ever be... Reading long poetry can get tiresome, of course, if it's TOO long... I still haven't read Eliot's "The Waste Land" because of its intimidating length, but at the same time I could easily sit down and read a chapter of "Paradise Lost" so I think it's mostly all in your head... But as for people who would rather write than read, well, I have to say you're just being foolish in that respect. Reading poetry (especially classical poetry) is the only way to learn anything about how to write it. Most people who would rather write than read (and I used to be one of them) aren't likely to get anywhere with their work. |
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Toad Member
since 2002-06-16
Posts 161 |
Do YOU THINK that someone can be a poet...or a very good poet if they don't even like poetry? Yes. I’m very good at clay pigeon shooting but I don’t like it and I’m sure there are people out there who go to work every day and do an excellent job but hate every minute of it, so why should poetry be any different? Then of course there’s always other ways of looking at things. Will liking poetry make you a good poet? If the answer to this is no then the obvious conclusion is that liking or not liking poetry has no direct bearing on whether you can be any good at it. [This message has been edited by Toad (07-15-2003 02:47 PM).] |
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Wind
since 2002-10-12
Posts 2981 |
I'd have to respectfully disagree with what LP said about how people who would rather write than read not are getting anywere. You can still do both and enjoy writing more. It's the people who refuse to read other people's work who are cutting themselves off. But you really need a balence of both, if you only read, you'll never develop, if you never write, you'll never get advice and improve your technique. but still I see the point, if you don't like it, don't write it. If only you can satisfy your needs, then keep it to yourself [This message has been edited by Wind (07-15-2003 06:07 PM).] |
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IcyFlamez89 Member
since 2003-02-14
Posts 292Jersey City NJ |
I think people can be good poets even though they don't like it. I mean, take my English class. We have to write poems and essays and reports. We don't like to do it, but we still do a pretty good job. |
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littlewing Member Rara Avis
since 2003-03-02
Posts 9655New York |
I do believe one can be a poet even if they despise it - may just be their calling in life but to be passionate about it - now there is where the line is crossed. EXACTLY Jenn Reading poetry and writing it are both inherent. If one is meant to write, they will . . . and I do agree with Brian on the classics . . . is the cornerstone of poetry indeed. What we write and our style is a shadow of WHO we are, as well as what we read. Whether we are willing to go that distance is entirely up to us. Some are content with what they know and others need to go one step further - in reading and writing. If your writing only makes sense to you then you need to re-assess your writing. Sure, everyone is not going to get everything we write, but I do think it is the job of the writer to try and reach as many people as they can. I look at it like this: If one person carries one line away with them that means something to them, then I have succeeded as a writer. I do the same with poetry myself. If I cannot comprehend an entire write, I either ask for elaboration or take from it what I can relate to. If you're writing and nobody understands it then you are writing for yourself and therefore probably shouldnt be sharing it. A journal entry could even mean a whole lot to the reader - it all lies in who relates to what. Nice thread Jenn [This message has been edited by littlewing (07-17-2003 12:12 AM).] |
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Jaime
Registered
MemberPosts 250 |
"And...isn't it a bad thing if our poetry only makes sense to ourselves? If it does, isn't that really just writing journal entries rather than poetry?" I will always get at least one person saying, "You know, I really don't understand your poetry." To be blunt and honest, I don't really care. However, if I have written a poem that I feel no one else besides me could possibly relate to, then I either rewrite it or throw it away. So basically, I don't write for people to understand, but I do consider whether or not what I'm sharing is in fact sharing or just my ramblings. The difference between my journals and my poetry is that while both are completely personal, my poetry is something that can be applied to the public. My journals are full of nonsense that at times even I don't understand. I'm not sure if this difference applies to everyone, but this is just a perspective to consider (perhaps). the faeries creep into my hair at night leaving it in terrible knots |
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lucky Senior Member
since 2000-01-17
Posts 1601Idaho |
ha ya Tempt.... so many verses I hold go unspoken and needless to say unwritten... So I'd say there has to be a driving force, a "want" to at least write. As far as their presentation, well, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" I mean, did Ernest Hemingway learn to write that way from somebody else..? I mean, where did he learn to think like that..! (thinking of "old man and the sea") Not reading someone elses poetry isn't of any concern so I see no issue there and I just stopped by to say hi and how ya doing and didn't mean to get all involved. Well, so much for my 6 sense. lucky Speaking of ghosts, wouldn't you know here comes mine again... |
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Essorant Member Elite
since 2002-08-10
Posts 4769Regina, Saskatchewan; Canada |
Maybe one may be able to write poetry without liking it even good poetry; But he probably will not be able to ever touch the altitude of the poet who sincerely has the passion and studies for his passion and writes thence. Passions prosper the practice, and practice prospers the art. Without passions the art is just a keycold practice like doing routine numbers in ars metric without any scientific direction or application. This person might just as well devise a caculator to decide his words. In highschool I could never do mathematics well in mathematics class and failed it miserably; yet in chemistry the mathematics I actually learned very well, had skill with and enjoyed...I think because my interest and a purpose was always right there with it, inspired me and I got an A in chemistry...I really wanted to pursue chemistry but my failure in the mathematics classes themselves ruined that for me which leaves me still very spiteful toward the educational system to this day...I could learn the mathematics with chemistry...but without chemistry mathematics was beyond me and seemed so idle. [This message has been edited by Essorant (08-21-2003 02:01 AM).] |
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Ringo
since 2003-02-20
Posts 3684Saluting with misty eyes |
I am going to have to throw my hat in with everyone else on this matter... It is very possible to be a poet without liking poetry. It is possible to be anything without liking that thing you are. For an example: Anne McCafferey wrote a very good, and very well received series called the Dragonriders Of Pern, yet the lovely old girl absolutely HATED dragons. How many doctors/surgeons/ teachers/ etc. hate their jobs, yet are still able to do them effectively. Even if one doesn't like poetry... perhaps that is what that individual's strength would be... letting the dislike of poetry forming his/her style. Just my thoughts, anyhow. We are all equal but we’re individually different |
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Miss_Alex New Member
since 2003-09-01
Posts 3TX, USA |
Yes you can write poetry even if you don't like to read it. I'm the same way, and I've been writing a long time now. I always prefer a good suspense novel over a poetry anthology. |
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